Temple Bar - Dublin's Cultural Quarter

Temple Bar is THEE place to be in Dublin. Back a thousand years ago, it was the spot where the Viking town of Dubh Linn (Black Pool) started. Quays and jetties lined the river and reed and wattle huts lined the muddy streets.

The mud has been replaced by cobblestones, the wattle huts by restaurants - pubs - art galleries - theatres - and, very importantly, tons of restaurants.

You want sushi? Come to Temple Bar. You want Italian food, Greek food, Spanish, Indonesian, Mexican, and yes, Irish food - then Temple Bar is where you'll be coming.

Of course, for those of you who really really want to hit the Bar, the area is loaded with pubs. Singing, swinging, or just commingling - Temple Bar is the center of Dublin's tourist night life. Lots of folks about, safely thronged streets, street musicians, the works - this is where Dublin and its visitors come to play.

Temple Bar merchants hand out a nifty little guide that lists 22 pubs, cafe's and night clubs clustered along the 4 main streets of the Quarter. There are more, mind you, but they just aren't in the book.

Irish music is a huge draw and many pubs feature traditional Irish music every night of the week. While the mix of bands and styles is eclectic - a fancy word for "anything goes" - Irish music heads the list. Just walk down any street in the Quarter and you'll hear the sounds of traditional Irish music wafting into the night.

Luckily, Dublin goes home when the pubs close around midnight on weeknights, so you can enjoy it all and still get a decent night's sleep. The pub industry keeps pushing for later and later opening hours. But, that portion of the populace which spends part of every day sleeping is generally content with the current hours.

Check out our Irish Music page for some great sites featuring traditional music.

This is ye olde corner of Dublin. Here's where it began, and the streets retain that Viking feel. The current mix of stores has a distinctly "trendy" feel. The buildings are often lavishly painted, you can't walk 20 feets without bumping up against another cafe, and the whole Quarter is just plain inviting.

Cross the Millennium Bridge and a three minute walk brings you to two major shopping centres and the famous Henry Street open air market on the North side of the river. Grafton Street and its surrounding shopping area are just a five minute walk south of Eliza Lodge.

In short , it's no more than a 10 to 15 minute walk to every major cultural and shopping venue in Dublin! You just can't get a better location in Dublin than Eliza Lodge.